Within the world of technology, a few pieces of tech are incredibly versatile, and you can use them for many purposes. Laser diodes are one of those pieces of technology. They’ve revolutionized communication and storage technology, but they’re also changing the way society produces lighting. Continue reading to learn how laser diodes are enhancing energy-efficient lighting.
What Makes Laser Diodes So Good?
The world has moved rapidly to light-emitting diode (LED) technology—one of the great technological success stories of our times. LEDs are longer-lasting, lower-power, and nearly ideal light sources that have replaced most traditional incandescent and fluorescent lighting applications. However, LEDs are not well suited for high-intensity lighting applications, such as building illumination, stadiums, or automotive headlights.
Laser diode-based systems are ideal for these high-brightness applications because they can provide very high-power densities compared to any other lighting technology. Laser-diode lighting systems are also very compact: a laser diode headlamp produces the same lighting output in a 30-millimeter beam compared to a 220-millimeter diameter beam when using halogen headlamps.
Why Are They Efficient?
The current state-of-the-art laser diode lighting is, in terms of lumens per watt, about 30% to 40% less efficient than LED lighting in most applications. While this efficiency will improve, current LED technology continues to be the dominant form of lighting. However, in high-brightness applications, where xenon, high-intensity discharge, and other types of high-intensity lighting are used, laser diode lighting systems significantly improve electrical efficiency with far longer lifespans.
The Future of Laser Diode Lighting
Laser diode lighting is steadily displacing older high-intensity lighting solutions, and this trend will continue to accelerate as the demand increases and the costs decline. However, laser diode lighting systems are too costly for broader low-intensity applications due to their higher inherent complexity and component cost.
Component and production optimization will bring down the cost of systems, tapping larger consumer markets due to broader adoption in automotive lighting. Overall, semiconductor lasers will become much more prominent in the lighting systems that surround us.
Laser diodes are enhancing energy-efficient lighting and will soon become commonplace. The world is always looking for ways to advance and improve how we light it, and lasers open up a whole new world of possibilities. If you work with lasers, consider investing in laser diode drivers, courtesy of Arroyo Instruments! We can take care of all your laser control needs!
